The Dream Chaser
by Ekai Ungson
Summary: While there is time to chase your dreams, follow them. Someday it might be too late. An Eriol x Tomoyo story.
1. For a Moment

The Dream Chaser

By Ekai Ungson

DISCLAIMER: Card Captor Sakura copyright CLAMP and other related enterprises. Characters used without permission.

****

For a Moment

****

People's lives begin to change the moment they enter that shop.

There is an old bookshop in middle London, squidged in between apartment complexes and flats, a relic of the old, old city. It is small, warm, comfortable; dusty and musty, managed by and old, kindly man whose good-natured smile seemed weather-beaten, tried, and tested. It serves tea to its patrons, who range from any age from old scholars searching for youth, to young artists seeking life's meaning within rare, antiquated, often ignored books. Some of them never really go that deeply—these are the people who have grown up in the neighborhood where the shop has stood since before the very days they were born, situated in one of the out-of-the-way back alleys people almost always find by sheer chance.

He frequented that little shop, liked it because of the little knickknacks scattered around, like old, worn rugs, salt and pepper shakers from Namibia (although the true origin was debatable), a globe fashioned from clear crystal, etched by hand. He liked it because of the old, old music the old, old man played in his antique Victrola from records the sizes of big serving dishes. He liked the worn beanbags and the overstuffed armchairs, worn with time and weather, he liked the books and the tea—the old man made excellent tea.

There has not been a life that the shop did not touch, even in some very small way. There, friendships were forged and lasted lifetimes, there, people experienced an epiphany of something or the other—and he was not spared.

One day, the door opened, and the young man's life changed.

*

Hiiragizawa Eriol was sitting on a beanbag behind a bookshelf, a copy of _The Collected Poems of Sappho _in one hand and a cup of tea in another. He was just getting ready for a good read, when—

The little bell on the door chimed and the hinges on the door itself creaked loudly, announcing customers to the old man, whose hearing was rather weak and needed at the very least a cacophony of noise to orient himself with people. Since it was fairly early in the day, and the silence in the shop was broken, all eyes turned to see who had come in, including Eriol himself.

It was a woman's voice that he heard first, clear but soft, still, with impeccable English with only the slightest tinge of a foreign accent. She related that she had gotten lost, and if they had a phone she could call with?

Eriol leaned out of his post, intrigued, to see who this young woman was.

She was wrapped in a trenchcoat of ebony black, and a striped scarf rested around her neck. Her long black hair was tied to one side and on her face was a sheepish sort of smile. Her violet eyes glittered while she spoke and he found himself rather largely mesmerized.

She was also, he was surprised to see, Japanese.

She took the phone from the old man with a smile (and he wondered how the old man had processed her request so easily when her voice was so very, very soft) and dialed a number. 

"Hi, Hilton? Penthouse please. To Sonomi Daidouji, this is her daughter. That's right. Thank you…." She shifted to Japanese quickly, but he never missed a beat. "_Hello, Mother. I kind of got lost again. Well, I know where I am but I can't find my way back. I'm in a bookshop in the middle of Third and Fifth Street. Oh, you know where that is? I'll be back for that later, yes, Mother. No, Mother, I think I'd like to stay here a while. It's awfully cold out. Yes, Mother. Thank you, Mother. I'll call again if I want to be picked up."_

She hung up and gave the phone back to the old man with a smile. "Thanks," she said, and began to look around.

"There are a lot of books here," he heard her say. "Some I have never yet heard of. May I look around?"

"Look around all you like, miss," the old man said genially. "I'll fix you some tea."

She smiled. And he felt a flash of familiarity with that smile, with everything about her. 

She turned her head and looked straight into his eyes.

He fell off the beanbag, onto the floor, on his face.

*

She winced once, then hurried to help the man who had fallen.

"Daijoubu ka?" she asked.

Eriol opened his eyes to meet violet ones swimming above him in concern. 

She blinked. "Sorry—are you okay?" she said in English this time. 

"Daijoubu," he replied, sitting up.

The young woman drew back. "You're Japanese!"

"Sort of," replied Eriol, clutching his head. He took a good look at her, wracking his memory—both memories, really—from where he'd seen her before. A picture of a smiling little girl in a school uniform, passing him papers in class, stamped itself in his mind. "And you are… Daidouji Tomoyo."

Tomoyo stared at him. "You're…" She took a moment to place the face with someone, from somewhere, long ago, and.

The man was smiling benignly at her. She knew that smile. That smile was—

"Hiiragizawa Eriol!" she exclaimed. His smile widened. She laughed, and her laughter rang out, filling the shop. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" she asked. "In a matter of speaking," she amended quickly.

"Can't say I say the same for you," he replied. Tomoyo had been adorable when he last saw her—she had been twelve. Now some ten years had passed and having dispensed with the awkwardness of puberty, she was stunning. "You've.. changed a great deal," he managed, and that was putting it mildly.

She held out a hand, which he took, and helped him up. "That much, huh?"

He looked at her and decided it HAD been entirely too long since he saw her last. "Is there a right answer to that, or was it a trick question?"

She grinned. "Don't answer that." And she pulled him up. "I never expected you'd fall head over heels for me."

__

If you only knew. He smiled back. "Neither did I. What brings you to England?"

"This and that," she swept her hand about generally. "Basically, it was my mother's idea. I never expected to see you at all, though. I would have dropped by or called had I known your address or number, but Sakura-chan said that you had lost correspondence two years ago—" she stopped suddenly. "Sorry, I'm babbling."

"It's still a nice surprise to see you here," he said. "I would have known you were around. Strange, I never sensed your presence."

"Maybe your senses have forgotten about me," she replied coyly.

That was probably the case, but he'd make sure it never happened again. "Maybe," he found himself replying. "Would you like to discuss it over tea, Daidouji-san?"

She placed a finger to his lips. The gesture made him stiffen involuntarily. "The first thing you have to know about me, Eriol-san," she said, "is to call me Tomoyo. All right? And yes, I would love tea."

He stared at her, not quite believing that this was the same Tomoyo he had met in Japan. She grinned at him. It was infectious. 

Things were about to get VERY interesting this afternoon.

*

The old man was playing that record again. That old, old record of violin that he rather liked. He never could guess who the artist was, and when the old man showed him the record itself, he found the cover blank.

It didn't stop him from liking it. But no matter how much money he offered the old man, the man never sold.

Ten years, it had been. Ten years that he never noticed had been that long until he saw this woman before him now and thought back to the time when she was but a little girl.

"Sakura-chan married Li-kun last year," Tomoyo was saying. "We sent an invitation over, but it was returned."

"I gave my old house away," Eriol explained. "Kaho married last year as well."

Tomoyo's eyes darted to his quickly. "She--? Not to you?"

"Not to me, no," he laughed. "A man, some archaeologist."

"And Akizuki-san—and Spinel?" 

"They still live with me in a rather smaller flat," he supplied. "We're quite comfortable. I wager they'd like to see you."

"I would love to see them," she said. "It's been so long."

"That, it has, Tomoyo-san," he answered, nodding.

Tomoyo looked at him. 

"Tomoyo-san?" Eriol prompted. "Something on my face?"

She blinked, startled. "No… no, sorry, Eriol-san."

*

The day was gone too soon, he mused later, as the sun sank in the horizon, as the excellent lady he was with was shrugging into her coat. He sighed. He would have liked to spend more time with her.

"Here, let me help with that, Tomoyo-san," he said, holding the coat for her.

She turned to him with the clearest smile on her face. "Thank you."

And he felt his heart melt into a puddle and settle somewhere between his feet. Determined, he swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "Shall I take you back to your hotel, Tomoyo-san?"

Tomoyo turned to him. "That's not necessary, Eriol-san. Mother has sent the rental car. Thank you for the offer, however," she said. "For offering. I'm afraid I took up quite a lot of your time today." She grinned in a sheepish sort of way. "Gomen nasai."

"It was a pleasure," he replied airily. "My life had no meaning 'til you entered this shop, Tomoyo-san."

She smiled indulgently. "That's a bit over the top, Eriol-san. As always, you are a man of flowery words." She rummaged in her purse a moment, then later held out a hand, a card between her fingers. "Call me at this number should you ever find need for meaning in your life again."

He took her hand, turned it over, and kissed it. Then he took her card.

She left the shop and he stared at the swinging door, knowing himself to be smitten.


	2. Blanket of Stars

The Dream Chaser

By Ekai Ungson

DISCLAIMER: Card Captor Sakura copyright CLAMP and other related enterprises. Characters used without permission.

__

Love me, Sophia, in my foolishness, love my words and not my mortal remains. 

-- "Art & Lies"; Jeanette Winterson

****

Blanket of Stars

-

"So Daidouji-san is in England, then?" Spinel Sun said over dinner.

"At the Hilton penthouse, whose number I hold," Eriol answered with only a tinge of smugness. "Is there something wrong?" he asked later, noting the look on his guardians' faces.

"Not with us," replied Ruby Moon, rising from the table. "But very possibly with you."

Eriol raised an eyebrow, but his guardians would say no more.

*

"Windsor Castle," said Tomoyo, in the tone of one who would not be deterred.

Eriol looked at her in utter horror. "Surely you jest, Tomoyo-san. You will not believe how long the lines are. Or how thick the crowds would be. Why not, say, Stonehenge?"

"Stonehenge?" Tomoyo wrinkled her nose. "Stonehenge is a bunch of rocks."

"Very historical, mysterious rocks," he pointed out.

"Very boring rubble," she retorted.

"What's so exciting about a bloody old castle?" he argued.

"It's romantic," she pointed out, as if romance mattered everything in the world. He groaned.

"Windsor Castle," she repeated.

And so Windsor Castle it was.

Eriol had nothing against Windsor castle. He didn't have anything at all against any old bloody castle. What he did have something against was the extremely long lines and the extremely thick crowds of tourists that were present, as he predicted without fail. He had a bone to pick about THAT. He looked over at Tomoyo, poised to tell her "I told you so", but he stopped, and he stared.

Tomoyo seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. She looked like she didn't mind standing for hours or getting pushed around by people. He had a bone to pick about that, too. He didn't like having to share Tomoyo's happiness and attention with hordes.

"You don't look like you're having fun," she said then, noting the inscrutable look on his face. She smiled brilliantly at him.

"No, no, I'm having fun—crazy whirligig of it," he replied.

"I take it you don't like big, pushy crowds," she observed thoughtfully.

"No, not really," he answered honestly. "Do you?"

She paused. "Well, at first it was sort of annoying. But over the years I got used to it."

He stared at her. She waved her hands about, as if to dismiss the words in the air. 

"Oh, never mind," she said, laughing. "D'you know what? I think we should ditch the tourist paths."

He turned sharply to stare at her. She tugged at his sleeve and like two fugitives from the law, they snuck away.

"And we are doing this because…?" Eriol asked as he stealthily rounded a corner with Tomoyo. 

"You looked like you were bored. So I'm creating adventure," she replied.

"And what makes you think we won't get into any trouble for venturing into restricted areas like this?"

"We won't," she answered.

"Because you're a cousin of the Queen and above all law," he deadpanned as he followed her.

"Actually, I think Mother is, yeah," she said.

He paused and stared at her. She grinned.

"I'm only winding you up," she said cutely. Or at least he thought she was gunning for cute, and it was working. "No, I'm not related to the Queen. And no, we won't get in trouble."

"Because?"

"Well, are you a sorcerer or not?" she demanded.

He raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled. Then he noted his surroundings and found himself in—

"The Round Tower," she proclaimed, sounding very pleased with herself.

"You're crazy," he told her.

"I know," she replied, and she kissed him.

*

It could be compared to riding a tornado. Very foolish, utterly dangerous, and as of recent study, utterly impossible. At least he thought it was utterly impossible, that this was utterly impossible. Hiiragizawa Eriol was not a stranger to the impossible happening before his very eyes, being a sorcerer of his caliber. But there were certain immutable truths he had to live by, and this was an antithesis so shattering, it consumed him.

Or maybe it was something else consuming him entirely. Tomoyo's lips were searing against his and he felt himself powerless in the face of such fire. In fact, he felt very weak, his arms limp and uncooperative to his wishes.

But he was kissing her back.

She pulled away and he found himself feeling very empty. "Eriol-san, you look shell-shocked."

"That would be appropriate," he croaked out. "Tomoyo-san—"

She held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it, whatever it is. I don't want you going into professor mode on me and I don't want you analyzing and overanalyzing every little thing I—we—do." She turned around and walked to the tower wall. "I've learned how to let things take course, learn to seize whatever feelings I have for the moment. I'm not—" she looked at him, "the same girl you knew back in Tomoeda."

"I'll say," he replied, still a little out-of-sorts. "So much for a slow start, I think, then."

She walked back to him and put one hand over his chest where his heart was. "We don't have time for slow, Eriol-san," she said.

He didn't have time to ask her to explain, because she was already kissing him again.

*

__

Where did the day go? Eriol asked himself later as he walked out the stone path hand-in-hand with Tomoyo. The sun was setting, the sky was an indeterminate orange hue, and the tour had finished.

"That was fun," she said nonchalantly, swinging their joined hands back and forth, back and forth, like a child. "I loved the tour."

"You didn't even follow the tour," he pointed out.

"If I remember correctly, you didn't either," she said. "But it was fun, wasn't it?"

He raised her hand to his lips and brushed it with them briefly. "Yes, it was fun."

She smiled at him, and they stayed that way, in the middle of the path in the Moat Garden, just staring at each other. Silly, to every rational person in the vicinity, but romantic, which was the whole point of an old castle with lavish gardens and beautiful surroundings. Anyone could be a prince and a princess, anyone could be king and queen.

"I better go back to the hotel," she said.

"Uh-huh," he agreed, but he didn't budge from his spot.

She began to laugh nervously. "Eriol-san, we can't stand here forever."

"No, can't do that," he agreed. Still he wouldn't move, and Tomoyo didn't have it in her heart to move away from his gaze either.

"Eriol-san," she tried again.

He cut her off. "Dinner with me, Tomoyo-san," he said. His voice was almost begging. "Dinner tonight with me. I don't want this day to end here, not now. I want to be with you."

The orange had disappeared entirely, replacing the sky with a dark blue hue. The stars were out, and they cast a halo behind his head. Tomoyo could not look away. Did not want to look away.

How many nights had she dreamt of a moment like this, back in Tomoeda, long after he'd left and was gone? How many days did she wish that he would look at her that way, whenever his letters arrived in the mail? And here it was.

The sky was blanketing them both, wrapping them inside a dream. 

"Tomoyo-san?" he prompted.

She rose on tiptoe, whispered in his ear. He caught her in his arms, his fingers in her hair, at her waist. He felt her smile against his cheek.

"I don't want this day to end yet, either."


	3. Slivers of Sky

The Dream Chaser

By Ekai Ungson

DISCLAIMER: Card Captor Sakura copyright CLAMP/Kodansha. Characters used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.

Obligatory Author's Note: This has been a very refreshing thing to write, actually. And I still haven't figured out why. This goes out to my beta, my sister, the lovely, inimitable Chelle-sama, and her sister, Ciircee-sama, whom I love and adore and cherish. XD

**"Her body seems to be everywhere,**

**like**** a wild dance taking up space, accented**

**with**** pirouettes that waft**

**summer**** scents that fill my face, completing**

**the**** hollowness, making my head whole**

**and**** the sadness that clings**

**to**** my skin blown asunder."**

**"Calling"; Donna Mae Arriola**

**III: Slivers of Sky**

It could be compared to looking at two bright shards of ice cold diamonds—the flawless, colored bright blue ones.

She closed her eyes and pulled her mask over her face. She drew the foil and stood ready for battle. "En garde, Eriol."

He merely grinned at her, the cad. There had always been something very annoying about that grin since they were children, and she remembered now exactly what it was. It mixed indulgent, conceited, amused and mischievous so well, yet conveyed innocence at every angle. No wonder he kept getting out of trouble.

That train of thought was discontinued when suddenly, in two quick motions, he drew down his mask and picking up his foil, thrust at her. She parried, reacting by instinct more than by skill, and cursed. _Dammit__—he's fast._

He easily defended himself from her counter, and then maneuvered himself into a position that forced her to take three very quick steps back. Even more annoyed now, she quickly reclaimed the space she'd backed down from and attacked him at full force.

They were very evenly matched, but he was too fast for her. She was soon overpowered, Eriol's foil pointing directly at her throat.

"You lose," he told her.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," she replied, pulling off her mask and letting it drop to the floor along with her weapon.

He lowered his own weapon and pulled his mask off as well. Again, that grin, and again those eyes. Fuming at having lost, and at that impudent, unapologetic grin, she launched herself at him, met his lips as they both toppled to the floor. He made a sound like the wind being knocked out of him, but otherwise did not complain. Tomoyo felt as if she'd hit two birds with one stone—this way she didn't have to see him grinning, and certainly there was nothing bad about kissing Hiiragizawa Eriol.

When she pulled back, her hair had fallen about them like a dark curtain. Her view of his eyes were unobstructed by the glasses he'd removed before they began, and she saw herself in them, drowning in them. She held up a hand to touch his cheek; he leaned into it with a slight smile.

She had to smile herself.

Eriol didn't know what made him happier—the fact that Tomoyo was lying on top of him, or that she had been kissing him only moments ago. He pulled her face down to his and decided that kissing definitely made him happiest.

He felt like he was falling with nothing to hold on to. As a sorcerer that was very disconcerting—to suddenly lose all sense of control. Eriol had been able to control most everything in his life, until now. In his soul he felt it, deep, when Clow had lost control as well—when he had fallen for Madoushi. The memories were blurred but the feelings were not, and so these feelings were a new sort of old, or maybe an old sort of new? He didn't know, and largely didn't care much.

Feelings like joy, elation, utter desperation—they came flooding into him without a sign of ever stopping. He was falling, propelled only by gravity to her—he was falling for her, he had fallen for her, and this loss of control was… awesome.

And so he clung to her as a falling man grabs something to cling to—with his dear life. Tight, because he never wanted her to leave, and close, because he wanted her to be his, now, forever. She broke the kiss, but he never let go. She rested her head on the crook of his shoulder, and he let out a breath.

"So. This is the slightly smaller flat you were talking about?" she asked. "How many small flats have their own fencing room?"

He laughed. "Well, it is slightly smaller than Reed Manor."

She punched him lightly. "Sure. By a few centimeters, maybe." She laughed with him. "That's so Japanese of you, being self-deprecatingly humble." Tomoyo raised herself up on her hands and looked around. "What is this place, really?"

"This is my parents' house," he told her. "Well, it's my house now. They left it to me."

She looked down at him as he drew himself up to a sitting position. "Then why move to Reed Manor at all? This place… practically the same thing."

"It was Kaho-san's idea," he replied. "Reed Manor stands on an endless conduit of magic that can be utilized at will. Given the circumstances, it was only logical. It helped me… reach out to Sakura-san. Know when it was time."

"And now… you have no more need for magic?"

"… Magic will always be a part of me," he said, conjuring a rose in his palm and tucked it behind her ear. Tomoyo was not surprised at all, having seen Sakura-chan do such things before.

"What I don't need anymore is that amount of power," he continued. "My work is done. I just want to be…"

"Normal?" she prompted.

"Human," he corrected her. "That's probably why I didn't sense you were here. In electronic terms, my batteries are low." He chuckled.

She smiled. "I'm glad."

"What about?"

"That you didn't sense me," she kissed his cheek. "I'm glad I was a surprise."

"You do seem to be full of surprises now," he observed. "What happened to Daidouji Tomoyo, Miss Polite, Prim and Proper?"

"I still am polite, prim, and proper."

"You sneaked away from a guided tour and went into restricted areas," he pointed out.

"Please," she scoffed. "I've been sneaking away and going into restricted areas since I was eleven. I videoed Sakura-chan, remember?"

"You kissed me. On our first date."

An eyebrow rose. "Would you rather I didn't?"

He shook his head furiously, and then kissed her on the mouth to make his point. "I'm just saying… the Daidouji-san I knew from Tomoeda would never do something like that."

"You don't know anything about the Daidouji-san you met ten years ago," she said softly. He wondered what she meant, but couldn't ask, as she went on, "And even if you did, would it matter? You wouldn't have wanted her then. Who I am now… very different from who you knew. That girl you met was afraid to take chances. I'm not." She turned to him. "I figure life's too short to spend waiting. For instance, do you know that I love you?"

He blinked at her, never expecting that one.

"I'd thought that." She smiled, but it was different from her usual—this smile was almost… bitter. "I've loved you since… well, I don't remember. But I was afraid. I used to be afraid. But Fate gave me a chance when I walked into that bookshop and found you there. I try not to let such opportunities pass."

"But… what about… Sakura-san?"

Her brow furrowed with her frown. "Why does everyone seem to think that I'll never get over Sakura-chan? It doesn't make any sense." She leaned into him. "I'll always love her, it's true—she's been in my life so long that it would be strange not to. But… I do have room in my heart to love someone else. To love you."

She turned her head to look out at the sky from the large windows on the east wall. It was a clear, bright blue—no clouds, only pure sunshine. "I want… to give away all the love in my heart. I want to love every chance I'm given. Loving is a privilege. It should be given freely. So I love you. I want it to be you."

He could do nothing else but hold her close and thank her.


	4. Rain Song

The Dream Chaser

By Ekai Ungson

DISCLAIMER: Card Captor Sakura copyright CLAMP/Kodansha. Characters used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, and no money is being made.

Obligatory Author's Note: This has been a very refreshing thing to write, actually. And I still haven't figured out why. This goes out to my beta, my sister, the lovely, inimitable Chelle-sama, and her sister, Ciircee-sama, whom I love and adore and cherish. XD

**There is only this peculiar awakening of the desire for permanence.**

- **"This, That Pulls", Melinda Tongco**

**IV: Rain Song**

Eriol and Tomoyo frequented the bookshop where they'd met—the kindly old man brought them tea as Tomoyo leafed through Neruda and Eriol lost himself in various Greek tragedies—his current fancy. They would sit on opposite sides of the bookshop but would find themselves beside each other minutes later, hands threaded together, as if they could not bear to be apart from each other too long.

It rained often in London, and when it did, the old man turned down the Victrola and let his patrons listen to the falling raindrops. He would then pass around free hot chocolate, and Eriol would sit back, a sleeping Tomoyo on his arm, listening to the rain singing like a thousand voices, and he would think that all was right in the world indeed.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

"When are you going back to Japan?" he asked as he walked her back to the hotel.

"I don't know," she answered. "Does it matter?"

He looked at her, incredulous. "Of course it matters!"

"Why?"

"I…" he thought for a moment, frowning. "I want to know… so I can make the arrangements."

"Arrangements for what?"

He _really _didn't think that she'd be _that _dense—Tomoyo was incredibly keen and sometimes she surprised him with the things she picked up. The look in her eye suggested that she just wanted to hear him say what she already knew outright.

"Arrangements to move back to Japan," he finished.

She stared at him.

He gulped. "I've been… wanting to go back for some time now."

An eyebrow rose.

"And… well, damn it, Tomoyo…" he took a breath, exhaled. "… I don't want to be apart from you."

He would've thought she'd be ecstatically happy by now. Or horribly freaked out. It was after all a little early in the relationship to be talking about migrating to another country with her. Then again, this relationship had been moving at breakneck speed from the beginning. Why lose the momentum?

Instead Tomoyo turned away and walked on, saying quietly, "I might never leave England."

It was his turn to stare. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," she replied with a smile.

"So… you're going to be living here?" he asked.

She didn't reply, they had reached the main entrances of the Hilton.

"So… I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"Yeah… tomorrow," she confirmed.

"So…"

"… So."

Eriol drew a breath and bit the bullet, leaning down to kiss her. Tomoyo closed her eyes. The distance lessened, until there was less than an inch. But then—

Suddenly, a long black limousine pulled up beside them. Startled, both Eriol and Tomoyo drew back.

From the limousine alighted several women clad in black pantsuits. They formed a line by the rear door. One opened it, and out came…

"Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo's face was a picture of dismay until she masked it quickly with cheer. "Okaasama."

Eriol, in fact, had seen Daidouji Sonomi before, in Japan, during school festivals and other important functions, but had never met her before. When the formidable woman turned to him, he gulped.

"Who's your friend, Tomoyo?"

He bowed quickly. "My name is Hiiragizawa Eriol, Daidouji-sama."

"We went to grade school together, before," Tomoyo supplied.

Sonomi nodded. "I see. Nice to have met you, Hiiragizawa-san." Then she pushed on, flanked by the bodyguards. "Come along, Tomoyo."

Tomoyo moved to follow. As she passed him, she clasped his hand. "Tomorrow, eight a.m., the bookshop. Okay?" She smiled radiantly at him before letting go of his hand.

He watched her go, never leaving his place until she was out of his sight.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

As he walked home Eriol pondered his recent actions. Was it actually humanly possible to be… in love in such a short time? Falling in love with Kaho had been a process that spanned across his lifetime so far. It was as if there had been no logical progression in their relationship but to fall in love. Then there had been no logical progression but to fall out of it. He kicked at a puddle, resenting the fact that there was something, still, inside of him, a small part of him that was still bitter about the entire affair and its abrupt, but fitting ending.

This… thing with Tomoyo was both frightening and exhilarating. He wondered if it was at all possible for any living being to travel at the speed of light, wondered if anything could survive such velocity. He felt as if he were freefalling into an endless nothingness. And for someone who was, he felt, well, deliriously happy about it.

He wanted to be with her always, he realized. Wanted her sweetness because she took away his pain. And even then he wanted to be in pain for her, wanted to hurt in his longing for her. To breathe her and be with her. His mind wasn't making any sense, but it was perfectly clear. He wanted to…

"Marry Daidouji Tomoyo-san?" Spinel Sun repeated as he watched his master pace the room. "This is a little abrupt, even for you, Eriol."

"I know. Don't I just know it. I've spent all of, what? Two weeks with her? Three? But this – this is making the most sense to me right now. It's like my gut is telling me that if I don't hold to her I'll lose her." The very possibility had his insides going cold, almost frozen. Definitely did not want to lose her.

"Aren't you a little too old to be going by your hormones?" Spinel asked.

He glared at his guardian, who looked studiously away. "This is not hormones, this is insanity. Which I suppose is practically the same thing. But, this is different, Spinel—could I, could I actually be in love with her? This in love with her? In less than a month?" He paused. "Am I in love with her?"

Spinel shrugged.

"I love her," he repeated. The words had never sounded so right, he concluded. Not even when he had applied the same sentiments for his erstwhile lover. "I love Tomoyo." He stared at his guardian, a little wide-eyed. "What am I going to do?"

Spinel flew over to him and rested lightly on his shoulder. The little creature's warmth was comforting.

tsuzuku


	5. It's called love at first and doesn't h

The Dream Chaser

By Ekai Ungson

DISCLAIMER: Card Captor Sakura copyright CLAMP/Kodansha. Characters used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made.

This is for Chelle-sama and Ciircee-sama, the best pair of sisters any girl could call her own.

**Let me know if I'm doing this right.**

**Let me know if my grip's too tight.**

**Let me know if I can stay all of my life.**

**Let me know if dreams can come true.**

**Let me know if this one's yours, too.**

**- "Gemini"; Spongecola**

V: It's called love at first, and doesn't hurt

"You've been very… what the word… somber tonight, Eriol," Tomoyo said with some concern. "You haven't said anything but monosyllables since you picked me up today."

"Huh?" Eriol articulated.

"You just did it again!" Tomoyo said, laughing. "What's going on? Is there something wrong?" She frowned. "Was it me?"

He shook his head vigorously. "No, no, of course not." He looked away. "I'm just preoccupied."

"With what?" she asked. "I'll wheedle."

He turned to smile at her then, a bittersweet smile that didn't tell her anything at all. Or maybe it told her too many things at once? She shook her head lightly as if it would rid her of the thoughts. She moved to hold his hand. His response was immediate: he entwined his fingers with hers as if he'd been doing it forever.

His eyes had been clouded over the entire day. And he was acting so strangely. When he looked at her… Tomoyo shuddered suddenly. It caused him to look at her. "You're cold?"

"A little," she said. He removed his coat and placed it around her shoulders with a mild smile on his face.

"Is that better?"

"Yes, thank you."

He took her hand again and resumed walking. With every step Tomoyo took a thousand questions filled her head. The chatter she'd put up to mask the quiet of the day seemed to have extinguished itself inside of her.

Suddenly he stopped, and she looked up. They were in front of a little gazebo by a lake. She turned to him with a question on her lips, but he only tugged at her to follow.

She was fascinated by the moonlight playing on his face, the shadows the light formed against his features. There was something he wanted to say, she knew. What it was… well, she had an idea, but she really hoped that—

Suddenly he held her to him. Tightly. Her sharp intake of breath made him bury his face in her hair. They stayed that way for several minutes, for eternity.

"Am I holding you too tight, Tomoyo?"

Her name on his lips seemed staggered, strained. "Eriol, what's wrong?"

"You're a thousand wishes that came true," he said. "A thousand of my hopes and dreams."

He smelled like snow, she thought. And he was warm as the sunshine. "I…"

"No, don't talk yet. Let me listen to you breathe. Do you know that I watch you when you sleep? You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, ever held. What day is it? What month is it? I feel like I've held you forever. I feel like I've waited for you forever, wanted you for so long. I want to be where you dream, Tomoyo. I want to be inside your heart."

"You are inside my heart," she said, still a little confused. "Eriol, I don't understand." But the truth was she understood perfectly.

When he kissed her she was surprised to taste tears. Her own? He pulled away and she saw the world in his eyes. She saw herself.

"Please marry me, Tomoyo."

He felt her stiffen, and then struggle out of his grasp.

"No. Oh, God, no."

"Tomoyo?"

She looked at him with eyes swimming with tears. "Eriol, I'm sorry."

And then he watched her as she ran.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

One would have thought that after a rejection like that, Hiiragizawa Eriol would sulk in his parlor, sit in the darkness, and brood about where he had gone wrong. At least, that was what his Guardians had thought, when they 'felt' their Master's emotions that very night.

But something had changed in Eriol's eyes when they came to fetch him from the park, hours after Tomoyo's flight from him at the gazebo. Nakuru and Spinel found their master sitting by the water, watching it glitter.

"… Eriol?" was Spinel's cautious greeting.

" … He's… not crying," Ruby Moon observed, in a stage whisper.

Suddenly, Eriol stood up. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun blinked, wary of his next move.

Eriol was weighing the things in his heart. And realized that some things were worth chasing after.

So he went, off and running.

"Eriol!" Ruby Moon called out. She turned to Spinel in a panic. "Where is he going?"

"He's chasing his dream."

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Tomoyo looked around the sunlit little cottage and smiled. From the window she could see a small lake, with a dock and a little boat. There was a rose garden out front, called the "Queen Anne"; and another flower garden at the back, called a "Mary Anne". She thought it was like living in the dollhouse Grandfather had made her as a child.

The birds were chirping out an early morning song. Tomoyo leaned in to listen as her mother signed for the house and turned to her.

"Well, it's official. This is our house now," Sonomi announced. She looked around. "Are you sure this is what you want? I could get us both something bigger in the area—"

"Okaasama, there's only going to be two of us now," she said. "I honestly don't see the need for a large, cavernous manor."

Sonomi pursed her lips. "I'm just worried that it's not exactly the kind of thing you're used to—"

"I think it's cute," Tomoyo said with a smile. "And you and I, I think we're ready to live in the country."

"But we should have picked something closer to the city, closer to the—"

Tomoyo's stare silenced Sonomi, whose worried eyes suddenly softened. "This makes me happy, Okaasama. Really. Thank you."

Sonomi smiled, then began chattering about unpacking, shopping for warmer clothes, the wonderful fresh air, the incredible view. Tomoyo didn't lie to her mother. She _was_ happy, truly happy.

Just not… completely happy.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Tomoyo was asleep when she heard a soft, but sharp, _ratatatatat_ on her windowpane. Her first instinct was to stare at the digital clock on her sidetable. It glowed, very clearly: 4:30 am.

The sound repeated itself. _Ratatatatat._

She rubbed her eyes open to see a… tiny, glowing person—entity—Tomoyo's brow furrowed. "Okay. What?" She shook her head vigorously to make sure she wasn't dreaming. The entity looked pixie-like, much like a fairy from the picture books she used to love as a child.

For a moment, Tomoyo was tempted, very tempted, to believe that she was losing her mind. Either that or believe the stories of faeries and such from the storybooks. But the little pixie was waving at her, motioning her to come closer. Tomoyo went to the window and raised the windowsill. The pixie went willingly to her open palm and sat there, looking very pleased. She stared at it, then out into the darkness. Her eyes adjusted, and—

Eriol. She couldn't help but smile. She really should have known.

The pixie smiled in her hand, gave a little wave, and disappeared into a shower of sparkling glitter.

"Did you like my trick?" Eriol called out to her.

"I think you're insane!" she called back.

"Shall I come up?"

Tomoyo paused. She almost asked, "how?". Granted, there was a trellis leading up to her window, and he could climb that—but in this… mood that Eriol was in, she wouldn't put flying past him. "No, I'll go down there. You wait," she told him sternly. He flashed her a cheerful smile.

When she opened the front door, Eriol was sitting on the swing on the porch. "How did you know where I was?" she asked.

"Information is easy to get, if you know who to pay for it," he told her easily. "This is a very nice house," he said conversationally.

"Thank you. What are you doing here?"

He grinned at her. "Tomoyo, I'm hurt. It's four in the morning, it's cold, aren't you going to invite me in? I am, after all, your boyfriend."

Tomoyo was torn between utter confusion and exasperation. She would have thought that after what had happened the other night, he would never want to see her or speak to her again. She had, after all, broken his heart.

But he didn't look like he had his heart broken. She eyed him warily. "Eriol—"

"First of all, I don't believe for a second that you don't love me."

Tomoyo put a hand to her lips. To think that-- why would he think that? "Eriol, I never said that I didn't love you."

"Exactly, that's why I don't believe it." His grin was Cheshire. "So I am forced to wonder why you don't want to marry me. I thought about it. Really, really thought hard." He looked at her. "And I still don't know. So—" He took two steps towards her. Suddenly, he seemed so tall, even if he were only really a few inches taller than her. Tomoyo took a step back instinctively.

"So, what?" she said. "You want an answer? Eriol, I don't have an answer. It's just so complica—hmmph."

She was cut off midsentence by the very insistent pressure of his lips on hers. First, she fought, hitting him, trying to evade. But Eriol was awfully persistent, and Tomoyo had to give in.

When he released her, his eyes were very, very blue. "See, Tomoyo-san, it's not very complicated at all."

She averted her eyes. "There's more to it than what you know," she said softly.

"All I know is that you love me," he said. "You love me so much, it shows in everything you do, in everything you say. I don't know why you don't want to marry me when you really want to—"

"Well, now, that's just being cocky—"

"—but I'm going to find out, don't you worry." He cupped her chin, raised her eyes to his. "I'm not going to stand around here and watch you walk away from me."

Tomoyo released an exasperated sigh. "Eriol. Please don't push it."

"Oh, I'll push it. I'll keep pushing it until I get to the truth, to what you're hiding from me. You were hiding, weren't you? In this little house, away from the city, away from me."

"I was not hiding."

"So give me the simple answer to the simple question; why won't you marry me? And you can't tell me that you don't love me. You do."

"I do. Love you."

"See, you're already saying your 'I do'. What would be so hard about saying that in front of a minister?"

"You're being awfully annoying."

He smiled at her. "The fact that you love me is enough for me to want to push it. Please tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

"You're lying."

"Can't a girl just say 'no'!" cried Tomoyo.

"Give me one good reason why, Tomoyo. Just one single good reason why you won't marry me."

She had a hundred reasons. A thousand reasons. The trouble was, they were all excuses. Some of them weren't even true. The one reason, the one, only reason why she didn't want to marry this man, the man she had loved all her life, was—

"Fine. I won't push you. Not right now, anyway." He released her from his grip. Tomoyo staggered backwards, suddenly cold.

Eriol walked down the porch, towards her roses. Unable to stop herself, she stepped forward and gripped the porch rail.

He turned to look back at her. "I love you too much to let you go."

As she watched him get into his car and drive away, Tomoyo felt her heart sink.

_That's what I was afraid of._

tsuzuku


End file.
